The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State has warned members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, and the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, who are clamouring for the creation of Biafra to stay away from the state.
The party, while calling on the pro-Biafra agitators to "discontinue such attempt to plunge Lagos into crisis," stressed that with the heightened security challenges facing the state it would not allow any group to hide under the guise of protest to compromise the security of the state.
Disclosing this in a statement by its spokesman, Joe Igbokwe, the party warned that it would not fold its arms and allow "politically sponsored hoodlums, masquerading as Pro-Biafran protesters" to compromise the security of the state."
It also reminded the pro-Biafra agitators that the state commissioner of police, Fatai Owoseni, had vowed to deal "ruthlessly with anybody or group found to be involved in such protests."
The statement reads, "We hope the will of the law enforcement agencies in Lagos will not be tested at a time like this.
"As a party that governs Lagos, it will be derelict of us to watch a group of politically-sponsored hoodlums tamper with the tight security system that has been effortlessly put in place by the state government to combat increasing crime rates in the state.
"We cannot allow these hoodlums, sponsored by politicians that failed woefully in the last general election, to unleash mayhem on peace loving Lagosians so as to achieve dark political aims that run parallel to the interests of Lagosians.
"It is obvious that the sponsors of the planned protest want to throw the state into needless mayhem by their act but the state will be ready to mete out to them the appropriate antidotes for such folly.
"Knowing full well that whatever they purport to represent is alien to Lagos and Lagosians, we wonder what the evil masterminds of these purported protests want to achieve in Lagos if not to plunge the state into unmitigated disruption and crisis and we state that Lagos will not allow such plans.
"Knowing full well that hoodlums are meant to capitalize on any so-called protests to unleash mayhem on Lagosians and compromise its tight security, we have no doubt that the brains behind the protest have very sinister intents the state will not allow.
"Lagos APC wants to use this opportunity to warn market leaders that are involved in this plot or allow their markets to be used for such dangerous activities that the state will not hesitate to not only show such market leaders the exit from such markets but will take measures to ensure that such markets are not used as hatcheries for dangerous activities.
"We urge Lagosians to be law abiding and report the masterminds of such evil plots that endanger the security of lives and property in Lagos to appropriate security agencies."